American Impressionist Painter Childe Hassam: A 5-Minute Guide

Childe Hassam

Childe Hassam

One of the greatest American Impressionist painters, Frederick Childe Hassam produced over 3000 works in oil, watercolor, etchings, and lithographs.

Pronounced “child HASS’m”, he demonstrated a talent for drawing and watercolor while at primary school.

Childe Hassam illustration for St Nicholas Children's magazine
Childe Hassam illustration for St Nicholas Children’s magazine

At 17, he turned down an offer from his uncle to pay for a Harvard education in favor of working as a wood engraver.

Proving to be a proficient draftsman, he produced engravings for letterheads and newspapers before becoming a freelance illustrator with his own studio.

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Specializing in illustrations for children’s stories in magazines such as Harper’s Weekly and Scribner’s Monthly, he held his first solo exhibition in Boston in 1883.

Advised by a friend at the Boston Art Club, he took a two-month “study trip” to Europe in the summer of 1883.

Forming the basis of his next exhibition in 1884 were 67 watercolors from his trip to Europe.

Influenced by the Barbizon school—an art movement for Realism in the context of the Romantic Movement—Hassam focused on the use of atmosphere and light in his landscapes.

Canal Scene by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1883
Canal Scene by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1883
Woodland Pond by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1882
Woodland Pond by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1882

French master Jean-Léon Gérôme had these words of advice for Childe Hassam, which he never forgot:

Look around you and paint what you see … render the intense life which surrounds you.
Church Procession, Spanish Steps by Frederick Childe Hassam - circa 1883
Church Procession, Spanish Steps by Frederick Childe Hassam – circa 1883

Taking to heart the words of a noted Boston critic “very pleasant, but not art”, in 1886 Hassam returned to Europe with his wife, settling in a studio in Paris at the center of the art community.

Paris Street Scene by Frederick Childe Hassam
Paris Street Scene by Frederick Childe Hassam

Here, he studied figure drawing and painting at the prestigious Académie Julian but found the teaching stifling,

the Julian academy is the personification of routine … crushing all originality out of growing men. It tends to put them in a rut and it keeps them in it.

Using an innovative change of palette, Hassam painted two versions of Grand Prix Day in 1887. Inspired by the work of French Impressionists, he painted softer, more diffuse colors, full of light, with free brush strokes.

Grand Prix Day by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1887-1888
Grand Prix Day by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1887-1888
Grand Prix Day by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1887
Grand Prix Day by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1887

The completed works garnered attention back home in Boston, with one critic writing,

It is refreshing to note that Mr. Hassam, in the midst of so many good, bad, and indifferent art currents, seems to be paddling his own canoe with a good deal of independence and method. When his Boston pictures of three years ago…are compared with the more recent work…it may be seen how he has progressed.

Exhibiting four paintings at the Exposition Universelle of 1889 in Paris, he won a bronze medal, then moved back to the States to take up residence on New York’s Fifth Avenue, painting the genteel neighborhoods within walking distance of his apartment.

View of Broadway and Fifth Avenue by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1890
View of Broadway and Fifth Avenue by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1890
Spring Morning In The Heart Of The City by Childe Hassam, 1890
Spring Morning In The Heart Of The City by Childe Hassam, 1890
New York is the most beautiful city in the world. There is no boulevard in all Paris that compares to our own Fifth Avenue … the average American still fails to appreciate the beauty of his own country.

Hassam’s career went from strength to strength, earning him as much as $6000 per painting in 1909 (equivalent to roughly $160,000 today).

As New York’s architecture changed, with skyscrapers supplanting stately mansions, Hassam lamented a simpler time when gracious horse-drawn carriages ferried people up and down Fifth Avenue.

Fifth Avenue In Winter by Childe Hassam, 1919
Fifth Avenue In Winter by Childe Hassam, 1919

He tired of the bustling subways, elevated trains, and motor buses, and traveled to Oregon, with its high desert, mountains , and rugged coastline.

Ecola Beach, Oregon by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1904
Ecola Beach, Oregon by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1904

In later life, Hassam produced some of his most distinctive paintings. Inspired by America’s involvement in World War One, he painted the “Flag series” in 1916. Being an avid Francophile, so enthusiastically did he embrace the war effort to help protect French culture that he even volunteered to record the war in Europe, but was declined.

Avenue of the Allies by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1918
Avenue of the Allies by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1918

Chosen by Barack Obama to hang in the Oval Office, the Avenue in the Rain is Hassam’s most famous work from the Flag series. As though viewing through a rain-smeared window, Hassam’s broad brushstrokes make a patriotic statement without overt reference to parades or war.

The Avenue in the Rain bu Childe Hassam, 1917
The Avenue in the Rain bu Childe Hassam, 1917

In his final years, he received a Gold Medal of Honor for lifetime achievement among other awards. However, for denouncing the avant-garde modern art trends of Cubism and Surrealism, some critics viewed him as static and repetitive.

He died peacefully in East Hampton at the age of 75, his legacy, an “abandoned genius” from a bygone time.

In the 1960s and 70s, the resurgence of interest in Impressionism saw his work fetch stratospheric prices.

Home Sweet Home Cottage, East Hampton by Frederick Childe Hassam - circa 1916
Home Sweet Home Cottage, East Hampton by Frederick Childe Hassam – circa 1916

More beautiful paintings from Childe Hassam

Lady in Flower Garden by Frederick Childe Hassam - circa 1891
Lady in Flower Garden by Frederick Childe Hassam – circa 1891
Woman with a Parasol in a Park by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1891
Woman with a Parasol in a Park by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1891
Lady in the Garden by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1897
Lady in the Garden by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1897
The White Dory by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1895
The White Dory by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1895
Rainy Day, Paris by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1893
Rainy Day, Paris by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1893
July Night by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1898
July Night by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1898
Sunday Morning by Frederick Childe Hassam - circa 1897
Sunday Morning by Frederick Childe Hassam – circa 1897
Morning Light by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1914
Morning Light by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1914
Fire Opals by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1912
Fire Opals by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1912
Lilies by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1910
Lilies by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1910
Bleak House, Broadstairs by Frederick Childe Hassam
Bleak House, Broadstairs by Frederick Childe Hassam
Ten Pound Island by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1896
Ten Pound Island by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1896
In Central Park by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1898
In Central Park by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1898
Parc Monceau, Paris by Frederick Childe Hassam - circa 1887-1895
Parc Monceau, Paris by Frederick Childe Hassam – circa 1887-1895
Conversation on the Avenue by Frederick Childe Hassam - circa 1892
Conversation on the Avenue by Frederick Childe Hassam – circa 1892
The Sea by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1892
The Sea by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1892
Promenade at Sunset, Paris by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1888-1889
Promenade at Sunset, Paris by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1888-1889
New York Street Scene by Frederick Childe Hassam - circa 1890
New York Street Scene by Frederick Childe Hassam – circa 1890
Evelyn Benedict at the Isles of Shoals by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1890
Evelyn Benedict at the Isles of Shoals by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1890
Twilight by Frederick Childe Hassam - circa 1888
Twilight by Frederick Childe Hassam – circa 1888
Peonies by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1888
Peonies by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1888
On the Balcony by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1888
On the Balcony by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1888
In the Luxembourg Gardens by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1888
In the Luxembourg Gardens by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1888
In the Sun by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1888
In the Sun by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1888
Mrs. Hassam at Villiers-le-Bel by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1888
Mrs. Hassam at Villiers-le-Bel by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1888
Mrs. Hassam in the Garden by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1888
Mrs. Hassam in the Garden by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1888
Spring (also known as The Artist's Sister) by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1885
Spring (also known as The Artist’s Sister) by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1885
After Breakfast by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1887
After Breakfast by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1887
Feeding Pigeons in the Piazza by Frederick Childe Hassam - circa 1883
Feeding Pigeons in the Piazza by Frederick Childe Hassam – circa 1883
Improvisation by Childe Hassam, 1899
Improvisation by Childe Hassam, 1899
Summer Sunlight (Isles of Shoals) by Childe Hassam, 1892
Summer Sunlight (Isles of Shoals) by Childe Hassam, 1892

30 Beautiful Impressionist Paintings from Frank Myers Boggs “An American in Paris”

The Impressionist painter Frank Myers Boggs loved France.

He loved the quays and monuments along the Seine in Paris. He loved the old harbor and the pretty townhouses in Honfleur. He loved the marina, the fish market, the stepped streets, and the tranquil squares of Marseille.

Myers Boggs was one of several young American artists who crossed the stormy seas of the North Atlantic in the 19th century to live, breathe, and paint the “old world” that is France.

He used a somber tonal palette and restrained impressionist technique to capture marine, harbor, and street scenes.

If you love moody skies, if you love the way golden afternoon light falls on old stone buildings, if you love the pale light of misty mornings, the stillness of reflections and cities filled with spires, then you will love the work of Frank Myers Boggs.

Here are 30 Impressionist paintings to feed your soul today.

The Seine at Paris with the Pont du Carousel by Frank Myers Boggs – 1896
Honfleur by Frank Myers Boggs
Honfleur by Frank Myers Boggs
Pont St. Michel by Frank Myers Boggs
Pont St. Michel by Frank Myers Boggs
Market Day, Dreux by Frank Myers Boggs
Honfleur, France by Frank Myers Boggs
Honfleur, France by Frank Myers Boggs
Scene of a Street in front of the Church of Saint-Medard, Paris by Frank Myers Boggs
Scene of a Street in front of the Church of Saint-Medard, Paris by Frank Myers Boggs
The Port of Marseille by Frank Myers Boggs
The Port of Marseille by Frank Myers Boggs
The Seine, Quay Henri IV, Paris by Frank Myers Boggs
The Seine, Quay Henri IV, Paris by Frank Myers Boggs
In Port by Frank Myers Boggs
Grand Opera House, Paris by Frank Myers Boggs
Grand Opera House, Paris by Frank Myers Boggs
French Harbor Scene by Frank Myers Boggs
French Harbor Scene by Frank Myers Boggs
The Church in Normandie by Frank Myers Boggs
The Church in Normandie by Frank Myers Boggs
Paris, the Porte Saint-Denis by Frank Myers Boggs - 1905
Paris, the Porte Saint-Denis by Frank Myers Boggs – 1905
The Harbor at Honfleur by Frank Myers Boggs
The Harbor at Honfleur by Frank Myers Boggs
View of Paris by Frank Myers Boggs - 1900
View of Paris by Frank Myers Boggs – 1900
View of Notre Dame by Frank Myers Boggs - 1898
View of Notre Dame by Frank Myers Boggs – 1898
The Pont Carousel, Paris by Frank Myers Boggs, 1889
Armistice Day, Paris, 1918 by Frank Boggs
Armistice Day, Paris, 1918 by Frank Boggs
On the Quai, Dieppe by Frank Myers Boggs, 1880
On the Quai, Dieppe by Frank Myers Boggs, 1880
The Seine at Paris by Frank Myers Boggs
The Moulin Rouge and the Rue Lepic as Seen from the Place Blanche by Frank Myers Boggs
The Seine and Notre Dame by Frank Myers Boggs
Our Lady of the Double Bridge by Frank Boggs, 1900
Le Quai de Valmy by Frank Boggs, 1905
Paris Street Scene by Frank Boggs, 1893
Paris Street Scene by Frank Boggs, 1893
Paris, the Seine, Quai Notre Dame by Frank Myers Boggs
Cathedral in Paris by Frank Myers Boggs
Dieppe by Frank Myers Boggs – 1881
Street Scene in Paris by Frank Myers Boggs - 1878
Street Scene in Paris by Frank Myers Boggs – 1878
Quai at the Seine in the Paris Moonlight by Frank Myers Boggs
Quai at the Seine in the Paris Moonlight by Frank Myers Boggs

Garden of the Princess (Louvre) – Monet in Transition from Realism to Impressionism

Garden of the Princess (Louvre) by Claude Oscar Monet is one of his earlier works from 1867—before the term “impressionism” came into being.

It can be considered “pre-impressionism”, incorporating hints of the impressionist style that would follow.

Garden of the Princess (Louvre) by Claude Oscar Monet 1867.
Garden of the Princess (Louvre) by Claude Oscar Monet 1867.

The sky, in particular, has the distinctively visible brush strokes, and the sense of movement that are crucial elements of impressionism.

The people and horse-drawn carriages in the street also share the same technique of dabs and blobs of paint.

However, the foreground—the Garden of the Princess—is painted in a more realistic style.

In this painting, we see the beginnings of a transition for Monet—from the realism of painting details and well-defined outlines, to the impressionism of painting the overall visual effect.

Enjoy this 5-minute discussion from expert curator Dr. Andria Derstine, the John G. W. Cowles Director of the Allen Memorial Art Museum that houses the work.

A Journey Back in Time Down the Avenue des Champs Élysées

The Avenue des Champs Élysées is a boulevard in Paris 1.9 km (1.2 mi) long and 70 m (76 yds) wide, which runs between the Obelisk of Luxur at Place de la Concorde, and the Arc de Triomphe at Place Charles de Gaulle.

Champs Élysées means “Elysian Fields”—the final resting place for heroes from Greek Mythology.

In France, they call it la plus belle avenue du monde “the world’s most beautiful avenue”.

1200px-Avenue_des_Champs-Élysées,_street_sign

Listen to Gabriel Fauré as we travel back in time down the Avenue des Champs Élysées.

Atop the Arc de Triomphe, one hundred years unfolds in the following two images.

Where once cobbles clattered and horse-drawn carriages danced, where the air hummed with the melody of strolling musicians and the lively bustle of Parisians in elegant hats and flowing robes, engines now roar, neon signs hiss, and the air pulsates with the murmur of a million conversations.

The Champs-Élysées as seen from the Arc de Triomphe in 1900.

Whispering stories of a bygone era, the Avenue has become a vibrant tapestry of lives, a melting pot of cultures, and a testament to the ever-evolving soul of Paris.

The Champs Élysées as seen from the Arc de Triomphe 2011.
The Champs Élysées as seen from the Arc de Triomphe, present day.
Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile. Credit Hansueli Krapf
Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile. Credit Hansueli Krapf

From the Place de la Concorde to the Rond-Point, we travel through the Jardin des Champs Élysées (Gardens of Champs Élysées), a park which has the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais, the Théâtre Marigny, and several restaurants, gardens and monuments.

The Champs-Elysees by Jean-François Raffaëlli c1880.
The Champs-Elysees by Jean-François Raffaëlli c1880.

Before Louis XIV, the area of the Champs Élysées was fields and kitchen gardens.

In 1667, French landscape architect André Le Nôtre, who had designed the gardens of Versailles, extended the Tuileries Garden to form the Champs Élysées gardens—together, a place where Parisians celebrated, met, promenaded, and relaxed.

At the Champs Elysees Gardens by Victor Gabriel Gilbert – 1897.

By the late 18th century, the Champs Élysées had become a fashionable avenue.  Trees on either side formed elegant rectangular groves.

Lane of Trees on the Champs-Elysees by Jean-François Raffaëlli - circa 1893.
Lane of Trees on the Champs-Elysees by Jean-François Raffaëlli – circa 1893.

Gardens of townhouses belonging to the nobility backed onto the formal gardens of the Champs Élysée. The grandest of these was the Élysée Palace, which became the official residence of the Presidents of France during the Third French Republic.

The Promenade on the Champs-Elysees by Jean-Georges Béraud.
The Promenade on the Champs-Elysees by Jean-Georges Béraud.

Le Nôtre planned a wide promenade, lined with two rows of elm trees on either side and flowerbeds in the symmetrical style of the French formal garden.

View of the Champs-Elysées from the Place de l'Etoile by Edmond-Georges Grandjean - 1878.
View of the Champs-Elysées from the Place de l’Etoile by Edmond-Georges Grandjean – 1878.
Scene on the Champs-Élysées by Jean-Georges Béraud
Scene on the Champs-Élysées by Jean-Georges Béraud

In 1828, footpaths and fountains were added, then later gas lighting.

Evening, Champs-Elysees by Frederick Childe Hassam - c. 1898.
Evening, Champs-Elysees by Frederick Childe Hassam – c. 1898.
Parisienne Au Rond-Point Des Champs-Elysees by Jean-Georges Béraud.
Parisienne Au Rond-Point Des Champs-Elysees by Jean-Georges Béraud.

In 1834, under King Louis Philippe, the architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff was commissioned to redesign the Place de la Concorde and the gardens of the Champs-Élysées.

April Showers, Champs Elysees Paris by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1888.
April Showers, Champs Elysees Paris by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1888.

The main monument of the Boulevard, the Arc de Triomphe, was commissioned by Napoleon after his victory at the Battle of Austerlitz.

After Napoleon’s fall from power in 1815, the Arc de Triomphe remained unfinished—eventually being completed by King Louis Philippe in 1836.

The Champs-Elysees, The Arc de Triomphe by Jean-François Raffaëlli.
The Champs-Elysees, The Arc de Triomphe by Jean-François Raffaëlli.
L'Arc de Triomphe, Paris by Eugène Galien-Laloue
L’Arc de Triomphe, Paris by Eugène Galien-Laloue

Emperor Napoleon III selected the park as the site of the first Paris international exposition—the Exposition Universelle of 1855.

Covering 322,000 sq ft, a giant exhibit hall once stood where the Grand Palais is today.

Exposition Universelle 1855.
Exposition Universelle 1855.
Detail of the engraving 'Paris in 1860. Bird's eye view, taken above the Champs-Elysees roundabout' representing the Palais de l'Industrie
Detail of the engraving ‘Paris in 1860. Bird’s eye view, taken above the Champs-Elysees roundabout’ representing the Palais de l’Industrie
Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées. Credit Eric Pouhier
Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées. Credit Eric Pouhier

Following the Exposition, in 1858, the gardens were transformed from a formal French design into a picturesque English-style garden, with groves of trees, flower beds and winding paths.

Beautiful rows of chestnut trees replaced the old tired elms.

The Champs-Elysees during the Paris Fair of 1867 by Pierre Auguste Renoir - 1867.
The Champs-Elysees during the Paris Fair of 1867 by Pierre Auguste Renoir – 1867.

In 1860, merchants along the Avenue joined together to form a syndicate—the oldest standing committee in Paris—to promote commercial interests along the Champs Élysées.

La Patisserie Gloppe au Champs Elyssées by Jean-Georges Béraud - 1889.
La Patisserie Gloppe au Champs Elyssées by Jean-Georges Béraud – 1889.
Portrait of a Lady on the Champs Elysees by George Vaughan Curtis - 1893.
Portrait of a Lady on the Champs Elysees by George Vaughan Curtis – 1893.

Traditionally home to luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, Lancel, Guerlain, Lacoste, Hôtel de la Païva, Élysée Palace and Fouquet’s, the Champs Élysées now also hosts popular chain stores.

Woman at the Champs-Élysées by night by Louis Anquetin.
Woman at the Champs-Élysées by night by Louis Anquetin.